Does Kansas deserve the No. 1 overall seed? Comparing the Jayhawks to other candidates

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Kansas had an opportunity Saturday night at the T-Mobile Center. A win for the Jayhawks over No. 7 Texas would have given the defending national champions both the regular season and Big 12 Tournament titles, further solidifying KU as the No. 1 overall seed.

Instead, KU took a 76-56 loss to Texas in the Big 12 Tournament Championship and fell to 27-7. After the Jayhawks defeated Iowa State during the semifinals on Friday night, assistant coach Norm Roberts -- who served as the interim head coach as Bill Self recovered from a trip to the hospital -- said he was unsure what it meant for KU’s tournament outlook.

“We’re not worried about that,” Roberts said. “You can’t worry about that. When you get in the tournament, everybody is good. Every team is a champion. You gotta be ready to play, so it doesn’t matter where you’re at.”

READ MORE: KU expecting Self to coach during NCAA Tournament

Kansas’ resume includes 17 Quad 1 wins via the NCAA Selection Committee’s NET ranking tool. That’s three more than the next closest school, with Texas having 14 such wins. It’s the most Quad 1 wins in a season by any team since the NET came into existence.

If the Jayhawks are assigned the Midwest region, they would be two wins away from a Sweet 16 appearance and a second weekend of games at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City.

READ MORE: Texas adds to blueprint for how to beat Kansas

KU was assigned a 4 seed in the Midwest region in Kansas City in 2019 but didn’t make it past the Round of 32. In 2017, the Jayhawks were the No. 1 overall seed and lost to Oregon in the Elite Eight in Kansas City.

Here are the resumes of the contenders for No. 1 seeds:

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